Swan or Dolphin? Does it matter?

[AnnaGiselle]

My husband and I are looking at taking a quick weekend trip down to Disney World next month for our anniversary and for the Flower and Garden Festival since it's my favorite! (Anyone else dream about the violet lemonade?!) We want to stay in the EPCOT area, so we can just walk over to the World Showcase. However, what's left at the Boardwalk, Beach Club, and Yacht Club are priced a little higher than what we'd like to spend for this trip.

So we are looking at the Swan and Dolphin hotels, which are currently half the price of the ones mentioned above. What are they like? Is there a preference between the two? Is one easier for getting to EPCOT? Are you still able to use your Magic Band to buy things in the parks?

 

[SteveH]

We've been to S/D numerous times, and really enjoy it. We were just there in January after a 10 year hiatus from WDW and loved it. No it's not themed as boldly as Disney but we like it very much. For us we prefer the Swan. Getting a King bed is a bit of a challenge at times, so the Swan has two Queens vs. the Dolphin's Doubles. The proximity to to the Epcot & DHS is a a big plus for us, but the buses to/from MK/AK have always been easy and fast. But the biggest reason we stay, as you found, is the price difference. You're getting a deluxe hotel at moderate prices. You will find a great community of S/D regulars and helpful info in this thread;https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...olphin-resorts-information-questions.3264274/

 

[daannzzz]

I have done both and the rooms were similar. We had a king in both rooms and great views in both rooms. The bathroom layout seemed a bit more cramped at the Dolphin. The public areas at the Dolphin are spectacular but we preferred the more intimate feel of the Swan as well as the slightly more art deco, old fashioned feeling there. The walking difference didn't seem to matter much.

 

[chalee94]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...olphin-resorts-information-questions.3264274/

Great location. But when you price them out, make sure you adjust for their resort fees and daily parking fees.

As stated in the linked resort thread, charging privileges do not extend outside the Swolphin resort area.

 

[Polybound]

It's been many many years since we stayed at the Swan. Loved it. I may be very wrong, but as I remember it, the walk to the Boat launch was slightly shorter from the Swan.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've stayed at both and I prefer the Swan (it has a smaller lobby and a less chaotic feeling), though I wouldn't hesitate to stay at either. The walk to EP feels equidistant to me. From the Dolphin, there is a zig-zag path that will take you right to the EP path by YC. From the Swan, you head up a path and can either walk along the Boardwalk to EP or across the bridge to the YC path. You can also take a boat from the dock which is located between Swan and Dolphin, but it stops at YC/BC and BWI before it gets to EP, so we prefer to walk.

 

[JerseyJanice]

The biggest difference between the two hotels is the bedding—two doubles at the Dolphin versus two queens at the Swan. The rooms at the Dolphin, though, can fit 5 people.

Between Disney’s resorts and the Swan/Dolphin, the largest differences are no Magical Express or the option to buy the Disney Dining Plan. You can’t charge back to your resort account from the parks, but you can have souvenir purchases sent to the resort for pick-up in the gift shop.

If you have a Costco membership, check out their travel agency’s package deals. Depending on your dates, you can do extremely well value-wise with Costco.

I personally absolutely love the place. I wish I could live there. The rooms are immaculate, and the staff couldn’t be more friendly. I adore the pool complex which you are welcome to use late at night. The food options are excellent, and you can get food 24 hours. We ordered a late night sushi feast from Kimonos that was fantastic.

 

[happymommy]

I prefer the Swan, and both have a king bed as a bookable category!

Either way you can't go wrong, but to me the Swan is a bit nicer.

 

[SteveH]

If you have a Costco membership, check out their travel agency’s package deals. Depending on your dates, you can do extremely well value-wise with Costco.

I will echo this, we got a good deal on our Swan stay plus it included the resort fee and a room upgrade all for less then the rack rate at the time.

 

[SteveH]

.

 

[pooh2001]

The Dolphin has the laundry, closer to the main pool, good restaurants with AAA discounts, more family friendly
The Swan has better views of EPCOT and more adult like

 

[Tylerflomb]

Try the Swan and book through Costco to save some money